The best things we’ve seen all year

Volvo’s new models and updated best-sellers wowed reviewers – and left many wistful at having to hand back the keys. Across the range, here’s what those who genuinely know their stuff had to say about Volvo Cars in 2025.

EX30: ‘Brilliant’

“I’m going to be very sad to hand the keys back to this long-term test vehicle,” wrote Cars Guide head of editorial, Justin Hillard after an extended test drive of the EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra.

After covering upwards of 2,500 kilometres over three months, he summarised the car as “a brilliant small electric SUV.”

While Hillard noted a steep learning curve and some foibles, “persist with them and you’ll be rewarded with a premium model that’s not only largely well-designed and practical, but also rather fun to drive, while remaining comfortable. You can’t argue with that.”

XC60: Beats rivals

Volvo’s best-selling car of all time received an update this year – and it’s still racking up the plaudits from those earning a living from knowing what a good car looks like.

Jake Williams at Which Car? ran the rule over the latest XC60. Suffice to say, he’s a fan:

“We think that the Volvo XC60 is still one of the best premium mid-size SUVs to buy thanks to its lovely interior, good value for money, punchy drivetrains and updated in-car tech. It’s also very comfortable, its cabin is Nordic luxurious and its active safety features are intuitive to use, as you’d expect for a safety-focused company such as Volvo,” he wrote.

“Put simply, it’s still one of the better options in the segment and you’d be crazy not to consider it.”

Likewise the crew at Top Gear, which rate it significantly more highly than equivalent mid-size luxury SUVs from German rivals.

“It’s relaxing to be in thanks to the superb, calming cabin (get it in a bright colour, you won’t regret it… unless you have kids), and mostly relaxing to drive. It does things differently to the equivalent BMW, Mercedes and Audi, and as good as those cars are, this one's all the better for it.

We’d argue it’s a much cooler, less offensively aggressive-looking thing to potter about in too.”

EX90 and XC90: Winning big

At the top end of town, the seven-seat EX90 is increasingly recognised as the best car in its class. “Safe, handsome, roomy, quiet and fun to drive: it’s easy to mount an argument that the EX90 isn’t just the best electric seven-seat SUV you can buy right now, but perhaps the best premium SUV full stop, regardless of whether it’s powered by petrol, diesel or electricity,” wrote NRMA’s Alex Inwood.

Top Gear head of car testing, Ollie Marriage, was equally effusive: “Smooth and silent on the road, it’s a pleasure to drive, more wieldy than you might expect for its size and weight. It’s easy to see out of, undemanding and consumes long journeys with ease and in spectacular comfort. The massage seats are some of the best we’ve ever come across. Irrelevant? Not if you’re a parent. Little luxuries help assuage the squabbling in the back. And in the EX90 little luxuries are everywhere you look.”

Most recently, Volvo’s updated XC90 was put through its paces by Australian influencers – and their children.

See what they had to say here, but fashion writer, consultant and influencer Zara Wong speaks for many parents when underlining the comfort, style and space that the XC90 delivers in spades.

“I’d *like* to claim to be a calm parent, but usually, road trips with kids test that theory for me. This time, though, Volvo Car Australia’s New XC90 assuaged all fears; there’s so much space (no kicking the backs of seats) and the panoramic roof was an excellent no-screen distraction,” she wrote.

“I already was a Volvo driver. They’re stylish, understated, safe and smooth and the 360 degree parking camera always gets comments. It’s great to see the improvements beyond my several-years-old XC40; it’s so much quieter and the Google built-in makes it so much easier to use. I’m officially a New XC90 convert.”

Make 2026 a happier new year – configure your new Volvo Car here.